Everything You Need to Know About Pool Mastic

When Should My Child Learn to Swim?

How Long Does It Take To Build A Swimming Pool?

How quickly can I start building my pool?

After you sign the contract everybody wants to know how quick is the pool builder going to get started? With HOA’s and permits it could delay that process up to thirty days. If you’re not dealing with any one of those they could probably be there within 7 to 10 days.

How long does it take to get a permit to build my pool?

With applying for swimming pool permits for your swimming pool every city is going to be a little bit different. It’s going to range anywhere from one week up to a month to get a permit. Unfortunately, if you’re in a flood plain within the city of Houston this process could take all the way up to 3 months.

What are the advantages of putting ozone in a pool?

Adding ozone to your swimming pool helps reduce the amount of chlorine that you need in your swimming pool and it also prevents you from shocking your pool in a weekly basis. With the cost savings up to $32 a month.

How long does it take to build a pool?

The average construction time to build a swimming pool is going to take about 6 weeks. From the day they start construction to the day they start putting water in your pool.

How do I keep my electric bill down when owning a pool?

We’re always looking of ways to save money on our electric bill and by owning a swimming pool there’s things we can do to help with that. One is buy a variable speed or a 2 speed pump, buy a robotic pool cleaner instead of a pressure side, use a LED light instead of a halogen. By doing these items right there that will drop your electrical cost by almost $112 a month.

What’s the average cost for pool chemicals?

The average consumer on chemical costs of treating their swimming pool will average almost $87 a month.

Where are the hidden costs in building a swimming pool?

One of the biggest concerns that most consumers have is where are hidden costs coming in when building a swimming pool? The easiest way to look at it is first please read the back of your contract with all builders. Because that’s where the hidden things are going to be. But most of the time any hidden cost is going to be what none of us can see that’s underneath the ground. And also, most pool builders will not replace your grass they will level it back out or they won’t fix your sprinkler systems unless you ask for them to include that in the price.

How much space do I need for a pool?

For a machine to get into your backyard we need an average of 7 ½ feet. But if we don’t have that we can get a smaller machine in as long as we have 5 foot in width.

What are the advantages of having a pool pump?

An average swimming pool electric bill when you have a pool spot combination will go up almost $137 a month on your electric. The swimming pool pump is the next largest single item on someone’s home next to their AC unit. So when you’re looking to buy a new swimming pool look at putting a arable speed pump or a 2 speed pump that could bring your electric cost all the way down to $32 a month.

Will I save money by getting a salt pool?

Most people when thinking about getting a saltwater swimming pool their belief is that they’re going to save a lot of money on owning one. But the cost of buying a saltwater pool and the maintenance over a 5 year time frame an average consumer is going to over $2700 in the first 5 years. If you bought just chlorine tablets which is all the salt water pool is doing for you is making chlorine. You would spend closer to $500 so during that time frame you have over a $2200 savings in a 5 year time frame. So a salt pool won’t save you any money.

How much does it cost to get a pool?

An average pool costs and starts out at about $25000 and can go up from there.

Do I have to be home when the pool is being built?

During the construction time the only time the pool builders going to need to see you there is one when they need money, two when they do a walk through and three when the pool is done and it’s time for pool school 101. So please be aware that yes, at time you are going to have to take off work so give your supervisor the best ideas if morning or afternoons are best for you guys to miss work.

What’s the cost to add a spa?

To add a spa to your swimming pool while your swimming pool is under construction it will add a price anywhere between 10 to 12 thousand dollars. That includes the gas line and the heater for the spa.

What’s the best choice for an interior finish for a pool?

When looking for the interior plaster surface of your swimming pool the best longevity is going to be a pebble surface.

What are some misconceptions and myths about a salt pool?

The biggest misconceptions about a salt pool is that it’s not a chlorine pool. A salt pool actually takes salt sodium chloride and actually manufactures its own chlorine. The biggest myth about a salt pool is that it’s cheaper to own. A salt pool actually costs you 5 years over $2000 to own it. Compared to buying chlorine that you would spend about $500 over the same time frame.

Can I get a chlorine-free pool?

A lot of customers are looking at times to find a way to have a chlorine-free pool. There’s only one product on the market that will give you that and the products called Baquacil. But there are ways of doing a swimming pool to keep less chemicals and less harsh chemicals in your pool to make swimming more enjoyable.

What is Sodium Tetra Borate?

Sodium Tetra Borate is actually an algaecide that we put in our swimming pool. It kills the carbon dioxide which is a food source for algae. Without that algae can’t grow. Now, the greatest benefit of using the borate in your swimming pool is that it makes your water soft. It gives you that silky smooth feel that you have with a salt water pool but without all the damage a salt water pool can cause.

How do I avoid getting the white calcium build up and keep my pool looking clean?

When building a swimming pool we want to make sure the pool looks good today as it will 10 years from now. And a way to be rest assured that you won’t have that white calcium build up coming through your tile is to make sure any raised walls or ray spas are sealed on both sides before the tile goes on. And at the same time when the tile is put on make sure they use a latex in their thin set and their grout.

Are there any other concerns about owning a salt water pool?

One thing that everyone must be concerned about when buying a saltwater pool is what materials you’re going to use around your swimming pool. If using flagstone, moss rock, anything that’s natural or anything that’s permious type stone the saltwater will get inside of it when the salt dries it will crystalize and actually start eating that stone from the inside out.

Can I seal my stones against salt water damage?

Some pool builders will tell people when their selling them a salt swimming pool that hey, were going to seal the stone to help prevent the dedregation of that stone because of the salt water. So far through all my findings I haven’t found one dealer that actually can backup those claims for any long period of time.

Can LED lights save me money?

With illuminating your swimming pool at night, you can come in and you can put a LED light within your swimming pool. Compared to a halogen light if it ran every single night for 4 hours your electric bill would drop over $18 dollars a month.

Tell me about mastic and how it will protect my pool.

After your pool is completed in between your coping which is the one foot edge that highlights the edge of the swimming pool and your decking you need to come in with a product called Mastic. It’s a self-leveling liquid cock that prevents water from going underneath their decks which in our expansive soil can either make our decks heave which would make them rise or it could also have them sink which would make our decks crack. So every new pool construction make sure Mastic is put in between your coping and your decking.

Are there advantages of getting a robotic pool cleaner?

Robotic pool cleaners seem to be new to the new construction of a swimming pool but actually they’ve been around a very, very long time. With everybody wanting to go green and finding ways to save money and to keep the cost of ownership of owning a swimming pool as cheap as possible. Putting a robotic pool cleaner in your swimming pool, will save you compared to a pressure side cleaner $27 a month on your electric bill.

How do I prevent my skimmer from leaking?

To help prevent your skimmers from leaking before you put the tile inside of the skimmer area come in with a silicone sealant and go around the very edge of the skimmer and the gunite structure of the swimming pool. This allows flexibility for the structure to move without having the leaks in between your skimmer and the pool structure itself.

Are pools susceptible to leaking?

With swimming pools being a concrete structure; unfortunately were going to have leaks. And there’s 2 primary’s that most swimming pools are going to want to leak. It’s around your skimmer that’s where all the leaves and debris get stuck in a little basket on the side of the pool. Or it’s going to be your return lines. It’s the little plastic pipes that stick out the edge of the pool that the water comes back in.

What is suction entrapment?

When purchasing a swimming pool we want to make sure that all people swimming in our pool are always safe. And suction entrapment is something you should be concerned about. There’s 2 big keys to suction entrapment that we need to be aware of. The first one is the drains must be a minimum of at least 3 feet apart. The second one and the toughest one most people miss is that the drain covers have a rating of how large a pump you can put on your swimming pool. You need to make sure that pump will not exceed the rating of that drain. If it does, someone could have the tendency of getting stuck on the bottom of the pool.

How do I prevent my return line from leaking?

To help prevent your return line from leaking is a little bit trickier. There’s actually a fitting that can go around the pipe before we plaster the swimming pool. This allows us to seal plaster around and in between the pipe itself to prevent those areas from allowing water to escape from your pool.

What should my credit score be so I can get financing for a swimming pool?

The banks are looking for a minimum credit score of at least 680 to get finance for a swimming pool.

Are there cheaper alternatives for poor chemicals?

With most consumers spending about $87 a month on chemical cost to keep their pools updated by adding ozone and sodium tetra borates and an inline chlorinator you can take that cost all the way down to $21 a month.

When looking to finance a pool, how much equity do banks for?

When looking to finance a swimming pool the banks are looking for minimum 90% equity in your home.

How much will my monthly payments be?

When financing a swimming pool the easiest way to figure out your monthly payments is $10 per 1000 of the cost of the swimming pool.

When looking for pool builders, how much experience should I look for?

When looking at pool builders unfortunately they come and go so looking at the longevity I would say that minimum you want someone that’s been in business for a minimum of 5 years.

Should I make sure that my pool builders and contractors are insured?

As a consumer you should make sure every contractor and every sub-contractor that comes onto your property has the correct and right amount of general liability insurance. You want minimum of a million dollars. What this does for you as a consumer, it helps protect you and case of any accidents should happen on your property that it won’t come back on you it will stay with the people you hired to do the job.

What do I do if I have utility easements in my property?

When we purchases our home sometimes we don’t realize we have utility easements in the back of our property. Unfortunately were not allowed to build a swimming pool within those areas.

How do I protect myself from a builder lien?

If you wanted to go in and borrow money from a bank to purchase a swimming pool, the banks going to want to pull your credit. But how do you know that builder is paying his bills? If he’s not, a lien can be filed on your property and with that lien it means that you as a consumer would have to pay for it again. So what we ask you to do is ask for every sub-contractor that that pool builder deals with and call them up and find out are they paying their bills on time and are they paying promptly.

Should I ask referrals from my pool builders?

When interviewing your pool builder’s referrals should be something that’s very important and that should matter. Of course you probably heard about them through word and moth to begin with. But take how long you want someone to be in business for…let’s say 5 years. Out of that time frame how many happy customers would you like them to have, 20? If so you need a minimum of 100 referrals from that builder to make sure he’s keeping everybody happy in the past and today.

Do you need a license to become a swimming pool builder?

In the state of Texas, to become a swimming pool builder unfortunately there is no licenses and there are no requirements for someone to come out and build or sell you a swimming pool.

Should I ask for a lien release?

When having anyone work on your home from a swimming pool builder to a roofing contractor one big key is ask for a lien release from everyone who has the right to file one on your property. That gives you peace of mind to make sure no one could ever come and file a lien on your property where you may have to pay for this project twice.

How much space will you need to build a swimming pool?

The area that we need for the swimming pool equipment if it’s a pool only it’s a very small area, 3 foot by 4 foot. If you have a pool spa with the heater were going to need up to 3 feet wide by 12 feet long. If you have any extra pumps for any water features each one of those is going to take an additional 2 foot by 2 foot area.

How much time do I need to clean and maintain my pool?

On average a home owners going to spend about 15-30 minutes a week on maintaining their swimming pool. To get on the lower side make sure your builder includes the items that will help save you time and save you money.

How often can I talk to my construction supervisor when building my pool?

When building a swimming pool remember that you probably go to work every day the same time the construction supervisors are out looking at your swimming pool. Unfortunately they’re not going to need to talk to you or see you every day but they will have certain walk through they’re going to do with you during construction. So that is when you’ll normally see your supervisors is when they need to see you to go over the project with you.

What kind of warranty can I get with my pool?

With dealing with structural warranty’s on a swimming pool 99% of all pool builders that come out and visit with you tell you one thing, that they have a lifetime structural warranty. Which means that they guarantee the swimming pool will hold and retain water. If the structure will not they say they will come and fix it. The big key is read the back of the contract. Not just in the warranty areas to see if there’s disclaimers that get them out of that warranty. One of the biggest that we see within our industry is that the ground moves the warrant becomes null and void well thank about it isn’t it the only way a pools going to crack, if the ground moves?

When comparing pool builders, what should I look for?

When comparing apples to apples to different pool builders please be aware that they can use different materials that will have different cost. They can change minor things the amount of square footage of your decking, they may not do a skimmer cock seal, they may not do masking, and they may not have ozone. There can be a lot of different things were the pool looks the same but is not built the same. So when comparing make sure you compare every item and if you do see a $2000 difference talk to the builders tell them that some of them will help you go through on comparing the apples to apples.

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